Huge current nets, banned Hilsa fish seized in Munshiganj

Members of Bangladesh Coast Guards in separate drives, have seized 180,000 meters of contraband current nets from Meghna river of Bokchar and Gazaria area under Munshiganj district on Friday.During the drives, they also arrested only one fisherman and seized some banned mother Hilsa fishes.
The arrested man was identified as Shawkat Sheikh of Narail District. He was given 15 days jail by the mobile court for violating government law.
According to official sources, the government has imposed an 11-day ban on catching, selling and marketing of mother Hilsa fishes across the country. The ban came into force on October 13.
The seized nets were burnt at Launch Ghat area of the town in presence of officials of the concerned departments. -BSS, Munshiganj Needlework brings fortune to 22,000 rural women Over 22,000 rural women have changed their fortune in the northern districts through various needlework like embroidering, spangling saree, ornamental stitching etc on female clothes in recent years.
The prospective venture continues attracting more unemployed, poor and distressed rural women in earning through working at home or smaller enterprises locally to attain economic self-reliance.
According to the successful women, their home-based embroidery works add additional values to the female clothes being marketed at higher price in the country’s sophisticated markets including capital city.
As result of growing success, the needlework has been getting a shape of growing cottage industry attracting local entrepreneurs to change the rural macro-economy in the northern districts.
Many of the rural women, who initiated the venture few years back, have launched smaller enterprises now after getting necessary training and assistances from different government and non-government organisations and local traders.
According to the sources in different NGOs, some 40,000 rural housewives, divorcees, unemployed young girls, adolescents, students and widows are now engaged with this profession and 22,000 of them have already achieved self-reliance.
With the assistances of RDRS Bangladesh alone, 2,000 unemployed and distressed women, victims of repression and violence, divorcees, widows and physically challenged women have so far achieved self-reliance through needlework at homes.
Entrepreneur of spangling industry Chand Mia here said he has expanded the venture generating employment for 350 poor families in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur through creating expert embroidery and ornamental stitching artisans.
He supplies simple saree, various spangles, anti- pipe, dhania puthi, tire puthi, pet-pipe, phooljori, laljori, sadajori, dhole spangle, stitching inputs, yarns and threads to women to make those more attractive through ornamental stitching, embroidery etc.
“After finishing needlework, each of the saree is being sold in Dhaka markets at Taka 8,000 to Taka 25,000 while the saree made by more skillful hand is sold at higher price of up to Taka 40,000 in the aristocrat markets in the capital,” he said.
As the venture continues expanding, most of the women of all ages in the village have turned into craftspeople to decorate saree with ornamental stitching and embroidery to earn minimum Taka 700 to 900 weekly.
Talking to BSS, successful craftswomen Mollika and Shameema said housewives, girls, adolescents, divorcees and distressed women of the village earn between Taka 2,500 and 4,000 monthly with double incomes before the Eid-ul-Fitr and Durga Puja festivities.
Similarly, over 900 women of all ages have changed their fortune through embroidery, ‘jari’, ‘puthi’ and spangling works on saree, three-pieces, scarf and other female clothes in seven villages under Sadar upazila of Thakurgaon in recent years.
Widow Sufi Begum, collage student Chompa Begum and school student Sadeka of Shibganj village there narrated as how they won poverty through earning conducting needlework on saree and other female clothes at leisure periods.
Local entrepreneur Mamuni Begum said she supplies inputs to 480 women of all ages of these villages and they earn excellent wages every week through ornamental stitching, embroidery, spangling etc on saree those are being at Dhaka.
Head of Programme Coordination of RDRS Bangladesh Monjusree Saha told BSS that thousands of rural women have changed fortune to dream better future for their children through the expanding needlework venture in the northern districts. – BsS, Rangpur